Tom Savage will captain Gloucester Rugby against Saracens on Saturday afternoon (kick off 3pm), as Director of Rugby Nigel Davies brings in five new faces to his starting line up.

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It's the penultimate round of the Aviva Premiership, and the final regular season game at Kingsholm.

Looking to keep alive Gloucester's chances of making the end of season playoffs, Nigel Davies makes three changes to his pack and two to his back line.

Injuries to Huia Edmonds and Dario Chistolini at Sale last Friday see Koree Britton and Shaun Knight come in at hooker and tight head respectively.

Tom Savage takes over the captaincy and moves from the back row into the second row. Sione Kalamafoni will wear six, with number eight Ben Morgan returning to the starting line up for the first time since January 11th.

The two changes to the backs are the return of Charlie Sharples on the wing, and Henry Trinder partnering Billy Twelvetrees in midfield in place of Mike Tindall.

Gloucester slipped to defeat at Sale last weekend but, talking to the media this week, Davies stressed that the game at Salford City Stadium has to be viewed in the light of the season as a whole.

"Last week was disappointing. But you have to put it in the context of our season. It's the only game away from home where we haven't been competitive.

"We've gone away to places like Harlequins, Leicester and Saracens and been competitive, and arguably should have come away with more.

"We're on a journey here, and Saturday gives us a chance to show people what we're all about."

Davies went on to praise Saturday's opponents and admits he's expecting a physical encounter.

"You have to give Saracens credit, they're a very efficient side. They know what they do, and they do it very well.

"We have to be on our mettle on Saturday. We have to be clear about what our game plan is. The real battle will be about the gain line both with and without the ball, and both teams will be looking to win that battle. It's going to be a physical encounter.

"They're doing tremendously well, domestically and in Europe. Their form this season says that they're one of the top teams in Europe right now. So, it's a huge challenge for us."